Grilled Scallops with Avocado Sauce; the soirée gourmande

Over the course of the next 10 years or so, I’ll be converting the older recipes to the new format.

I’ll be doing my favorites first.

I have always loved scallops, but they are a rare treat for us as they are expensive.

It’s also one of the few fish / seafood that I buy frozen. I don’t often see scallops at the fish counter and when I do they are most often still in the shell. Occasionally they will be out of the shell but still with the coral attached.

I don’t like the coral.

As they are already expensive, and the price is by weight, I see no reason to pay for something I’m not going to eat. I can buy frozen ‘sans coral’.

If you buy fresh scallops you should use them within a day or two.

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Grilled Scallops with Avocado Sauce

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With the sweet scallops and creamy avocado, this is a rich dish. I served fewer scallops than usual. Serve it with a simple rice or barley pilaf…. or quinoa.

• Author: Katie Zeller
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Grilling
• Cuisine: Continental

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 10oz (300gr) sea scallops (large scallops)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 tbs oil
• Avocado Sauce:
• 1/2 avocado
• 3 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 tbs fresh chives, chopped

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Instructions

• Mix oil, cumin and lime juice. 
• Add scallops and stir to coat.
• Avocado Sauce: 
• Purée avocado, yogurt, lime juice and chicken stock in a blender until smooth. 
• Stir in chives.
• Grill scallops over direct heat 3 – 5 minutes per side, just until they are opaque.
• To serve: Divide Avocado Sauce and spoon onto 2 plates. Arrange scallops on Sauce and serve.

Notes

Use a grill pan or basket for easy handling and be careful not to overcook. Or cook them on skewers.
You could use shrimp or any firm white fish in place of the scallops.
The scallops could also be quickly sautéed in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat for about the same amount of time.
To store the avocado turn it upside down on a small plate (pit removed) and store in the fridge for a day or 2…. Really, it’s that easy. You don’t need film or lemon juice or anything else. It just needs to lie flat.

Keywords: grilled seafood, avocados

The Soirée Gourmande we went to on Friday night was different than I expected. I thought that it would be a night market with the emphasis on food.

It was’t.

It was just about the food. Well, and the music…. This being summertime in France of course there was live music and a dance floor.

Tables were set-up on either side of the lane, with the food trucks behind the tables.

There were a few trucks that had starters – melon & ham, fruit salad, lettuce salad, nem (Vietnamese spring rolls), samosas, and so on.

For main courses there was pizza (for the kids), rotisserie chicken with potatoes, spit-roasted pork, sausages of all types and sizes, and beef.

We had the beef

We went to the butcher truck and had a choice of 3lb (1500gr) T-Bone to a hamburger and everything in-between. It was all cut to order. We had filet mignon. He grabbed the entire filet and asked how thick, cut 2 of them, wrapped them, weighed them and we paid.

We took our package 10 steps further on and handed it to the woman wielding the tongs. She asked how we wanted it done and grilled it while we waited.

While I waited, I should say…. Mon mari went on the next truck to get the frites.

We took it all back to our table for a lovely dinner. The steak was perfect.

We were able to buy wine and beer, of course,

For dessert there was ice cream or crepes.

We left around 10, just as it was getting dark. The dancing was going strong…..

These evenings are on various nights, all summer long, all over our area. It’s a great way to spend an evening.